Suppose a child was raised by abusive parents that kept her locked in a basement, completely separated from human contact, for the first 7 years of her life. When she was finally rescued, case workers find that it is very difficult to teach her how to communicate. This would be because the child was not exposed to language during the _____________.
A) sensitive period
B) sensorimotor stage
C) preconventional stage
D) concrete operational stage

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sensitive period is the time period in which the brain is particularly sensitive to specific stimuli, and if these stimuli are not present during this time, the ability to develop certain skills may be permanently lost or impaired. In the case of language development, the sensitive period is between birth and around 7 years old. Since the child in the scenario was deprived of any language exposure during this time, it would be more difficult for her to learn and develop language skills later on in life.

Suppose a Child Was Raised by Abusive Parents That Kept